Five Cross Over
by Old Toad
Summary: The Famous Five re-invent themselves. A weird story.


They had enjoyed many, many midnight feasts, but this one was different, it disguised a serious discussion about the future of The Five. The senior, known as Julian, began. "It's been a jolly splendid twenty years, and we've had a great time, but now it is time for a change. Are we all agreed on that?" There was agreement all round. "We need to leave all this and move to somewhere else."

"But what about Mother and Father and Cook? What about our friends, our teachers?" asked Anne, very concerned.

"Oh phooey!" exclaimed George. "None of them, not my 'parents', ever noticed that we haven't aged at all in over twenty years! When we go they will hardly remember we ever existed."

Julian said, "George is right. You know it's true. Don't worry about them." Anne nodded. Julian continued, "I suggest a new country. We want to stay with the English language, so I thought the United States."

Everyone thought this a simply splendid suggestion. The trouble was, everyone had a different idea about which part of that diverse nation they favoured! Anne saw herself in a little house on the prairie, or else in some neat clapperboard New England home. George wanted the outdoor life; she said, "How about the Rockies: we can do lots of mountaineering and white-water canoeing, or somewhere like Wyoming and we can do some serious horse riding."

Dick said, "We like catching criminals and finding hidden secrets. I see myself as a junior private dick, a gumshoe. I vote for a big city like New York or Chicago!"

None of the others liked this idea: they liked the countryside and little villages, not busy built-up areas. Julian said, "We all like boating as much as anything. How about some little town on the shore of one of the Great Lakes?"

Timmy said, "WOOF!" very loudly indeed!

"Timmy is right," said Julian. "We've become too narrow in our thinking, too attached to our present characters. When we move on we need to change _who_ we are, not just _where_ we are. What does each of us want for themselves?"

Dick said, "I want to be a little older - old enough to have a bit of a beard - but not adult. I'm tired of cycling everywhere, I must be old enough to drive a car or ride a motorbike!"

George said, "I agree with Dick about age, I want to be three or four years older too and no longer told what to do by grownups all the time. I've thought for long time about changing my gender, but I've decided to stay female. But a tomboy teenager isn't right, so I want to be more serious, a bit of a bluestocking."

"OK," said Julian. "What about you, Timmy? I know you've liked being a dog, but do you really want to remain canine, perhaps for another twenty years?"

Timmy came out of character enough to speak. "Yes, I definitely don't want to be human, a role as a male dog suits me perfectly. But I do want some changes; if you four are going to be older you no longer need me as a protector. So I want to be a bit of a clown: a big lovable dope of a dog. Oh, and I'd like to be able to communicate with humans a bit better; there is only so much information you can get into 'Woof Woof.'"

Dick said, "I'd like to be closer to Timmy: I see the pair of us, man and dog, as buddies with similar traits."

"Sounds good to me!" said Timmy.

"What about you, Anne?" asked Julian.

"I want to grow up! I don't want to play the youngest anymore. I want to be grown up. George and I like being opposites, so if she is to be clever and studious I shall be glamorous and outward going. Please!"

"Well, that sounds good for the group dynamics," said Julian. "Myself, I just want to be older, bigger and stronger. ... But we haven't yet decided where to go. Blow the Great Lakes, that was the old Julian talking. Now I really think it should be the west coast: California!"

"I like the sound of that." said Dick enthusiastically. "No more scones and iced buns; it's 'burgers and pizza for us!"

The others took this up: "waffles and corn syrup!" … "Ham and eggs, sunny-side up!" … "Pretzels!"

"What is a pretzel?" asked Julian.

"I have no idea," said Dick. Nobody else did either.

"No more ginger-beer, either," said George. "It'll be Cola or Soda for us. I wonder what Soda is like?"

"Never mind that," said Dick, "They say that American ice cream is the best in the world!" That seemed to settle the matter, and the five became quite excited.

Julian brought them back to order. "We still have to decide what we are going to do in California," he said. "Any ideas?"

"I think we should carry on much as before," said Dick. "That is, having a good time together, find treasure, catching smugglers and all that sort of thing."

"Yes, we must have exciting adventures," said George. "But no more long bicycle rides! I vote we become a motorcycle gang."

"No way!" said Julian, trying to Americanize his language. "Motorbike gangs are ruffians; that wouldn't suit us anymore than smoking or … er … bad language. The Five must be clean-living. But I agree about bicycles – only small children use them in the States. We should have a big auto to cruise around in."

"That would be cool," said Dick. "Or we could have some sort of 'recreational vehicle', big enough to be a mobile base." All thought this a brilliant idea.

"Are we clear as to what we are going to do?" asked George. "I really do want to carry on finding treasure and thwarting smugglers."

"There must be hidden gold to find in California – remember the Gold Rush! But I don't think there are many smugglers" said Julian.

"We could move around solving mysteries and exposing wrong-doing," said Anne. "I'd quite like that."

"Sounds good to me!" barked Timmy, and the others, laughing, agreed: they were going to have a great time in their re-incarnation.

"We are all agreed, then," said Julian. "We'll fade away here and pop up in California when we are ready. One last thing before we turn in: what new names shall we take? Remember, we could be stuck with them for the next twenty years, more if we are really successful."

 _You know the rest._


End file.
